The Gujarat Giants are entering the WPL 2026 season with a clearly delineated strategy that relies on creating a team around elite international players, hoping that their combined experience will be enough to propel the Giants deep into the tournament. With Ashleigh Gardner, Beth Mooney, Sophie Devine and Georgia Wareham, the Giants have assembled the most expensive overseas group of players in WPL history, providing them with amazing star power.

However, there remain questions about the depth of the Giants' Indian batting line-up and how balanced their overall squad is. This SWOT analysis takes a closer look at whether the Overseas-first approach taken by the Gujarat Giants can finally produce the level of success that the team has long sought. Let us look SWOT analysis;

Strengths

While the Gujarat Giants have assembled a world-class overseas core, perhaps their strongest asset is their very strong overseas players. The contributions to the team from Ashleigh Gardner and Beth Mooney can both carry a match for the team; Gardner has shown himself to be a tremendous power hitter and Mooney has proven to be one of the most consistent players in the WPL from the very start. The addition of Sophie Devine to this mix makes the overseas core even more powerful and gives the Giants a very strong top three that can chase down any score in the league.

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The value of Devine goes well beyond her batting. While 2025 was certainly not the best year for her, she is still a reliable 4 over option and a natural leader. She makes for a "set and forget" captaincy option when planning tactically (across multiple formats) and in regard to Fantasy Cricket. With Georgia Wareham providing additional balance, due to her leg-spin and finishing skills, GG have enough flexibility throughout all conditions to allow the team to maintain this strength. The combination of the experience and match-winning potential of the entire overseas group gives Gujarat Giants a unique advantage.

Weaknesses

Although Gujarat Giants have a large number of star overseas players, they are at risk due to a lack of Indian batting depth. Of the Indian batters, other than Bharti Fulmali and Kanika Ahuja, very few have had any consistent exposure at the highest level of the game. Yastika Bhatia is likely unavailable due to injury. This further reduces the strength of the domestic core and adds additional pressure to the overseas batters, who will need to perform in every match.

The Indian fast-bowling unit is also of concern, as Renuka Singh is the only proven bowler; the rest of the pace bowlers are largely untested and very promising, but inexperienced. In high-scoring matches, this lack of identified/proven Indian support could lead to excessive reliance on the overseas stars of GG.

Opportunities

Gujarat Giants' young Indian talent could use WPL 2026 as a platform to showcase their skills at the highest level. For instance, if given the opportunity and communication about his position in the batting order, Bharti Fulmali may establish himself as a long-term option for a top-order batting position. Furthermore, young bowlers such as Titas Sadhu and Kashvee Gautam have shown potential. If properly developed over time, they may become long-term assets to the franchise.

The next area of opportunity for Gujarat Giants is the ability to take advantage of playing conditions in India. If Renuka Singh, who was acquired at a bargain price, has the ability to move the ball early in her spell at venues such as Vadodara or Navi Mumbai, she could be highly effective if given proper support throughout her spell. Therefore, if Gujarat Giants can maximise her early wickets, while also supporting her with a well-rounded bowling attack, they may exceed expectations with their bowling unit.

Threats

The largest risk for Gujarat Giants would be to depend too heavily on their overseas players. If one or both of Gardner, Mooney, or Devine become injured or out of form, the team could struggle to fill the void. Opposing teams will most likely attack GG's Indian batsmen and force them into high-pressure situations. Finally, the Giants have historically been inconsistent in their performance.

While they may have an array of talented players on paper, if they cannot generate enough early momentum, their chances for success are significantly diminished. It will be imperative for GG to balance the expectations surrounding their star players and create an atmosphere that fosters team unity.

Conclusion

The Gujarat Giants are entering the Women’s Premier League (WPL) for 2026 with an arguably the strongest overseas contingent in the tournament. With that said, the team's success largely hinges upon whether or not their domestic WPL players are able to support each other and relieve some of the pressure off of their global players, so that they continue to perform at their best. If young Indian talent can break into the team and support Renuka Singh as the lead bowler, Gujarat Giants could potentially be strong contenders for a playoff berth, and possibly have an opportunity to advance even further.

Probable Playing XI for Gujarat Giants

Beth Mooney (wk), Sophie Devine, Bharti Fulmali, Ashleigh Gardner, Georgia Wareham, Kanika Ahuja, Ayushi Soni, Kashvee Gautam, Tanuja Kanwar, Titas Sadhu, Renuka Singh